A New Gym Is Only Open To People Who Are Overweight

When it comes to being a member at this Chicago-based gym, skinny
people need not apply. There's one important requirement to
joining Downsize Fitness: you must be overweight.

Investment manager Francis Wisniewski founded the gym in 2011
when he realized there was a large group of people whose
fitness needs just weren't being met by traditional gyms,
according to
Daniel Gross at The Daily Beast. Wisniewski weighed 350
pounds at the time, and he rarely used the gym membership his
business partner bought for him.

CEO Kishan Shah, who once weighed 400 pounds but is now half
that size, says that the social aspects of traditional fitness
centers are often intimidating for people trying to lose
weight. Gym chains also prefer members who don't use their
facilities frequently —
they make more money that way.

Downsize, on the other hand, provides a judgment-free
atmosphere with frosted windows, group nutrition classes,
bi-weekly weigh-ins, and equipment built to support up to 600
pounds. New members must have at least 50 lbs. to lose,
and they typically have a Body Mass Index of 35 (a BMI of 30 is
generally considered overweight). Fitness coaches,
many of whom are weight-loss success stories themselves,
regularly check in to make sure that members are meeting their
goals.

“What we do at Downsize is focus on functional fitness – broadly
defined as anything that helps you live and meet a healthy life,”
said Shah. “The primary consideration people have when
joining is not because they’re interested in looking better. It’s
generally that they want to be able to get up off the floor, or
keep up with their kids, or live to see their grandchildren.”

Downsize opened a second branch in Dallas in 2012 and another in
Naperville, Ill. earlier this year. A fourth location is set to
open in Fort Worth, but the company hopes to expand to eight or
ten in the coming years. For now, those who don't happen to live
near a Downsize location can join in the
program through online classes.